Americans can agree that our president (a) should obey the Constitution and (b) tell the truth to the American people.
Without regard to the merits or success of the attack on Iran, Trump (a) violated the Constitution in circumventing Congress’s authority to declare war, and (b) lied to the American people about the nuclear capabilities (to justify the attack and about the effectiveness of the attack in disabling Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
The success of the US bombing of Iran’s uranium enrichment facility is contested at best and insignificant at worst. Indeed, the weight of the evidence suggests that a massive attack by the US has set back Iran only by a few months in its efforts to enrich uranium. Worse, the failed attack has created a new incentive for Iran to rush headlong into the development of a nuclear weapon (as opposed to enriching uranium).
Faced with multiple sources suggesting the US raids were largely ineffective, Trump’s press secretary has simply asserted that the US intelligence is “wrong” because it contradicts Trump’s claim that the Iranian facilities were “obliterated.”
The military success or failure of the attack on Iran is an issue separate from the questions of whether Trump violated the Constitution and repeatedly lied to the American people about the justification and results of the attack.
America is a stronger nation, a more reliable ally, and a more effective global power when its leader obeys the Constitution and tells the truth. Trump should not be lionized by anyone—the media, Netanyahu, or the American people—for acting in a lawless, deceitful manner in carrying out the attacks on Iran.
Trump should not only not be viewed as a heroic wartime president but should instead be viewed as a lawless, deceitful president who may have destabilized the Middle East and made all Americans less secure because he cannot be trusted–by anyone.
The mission to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions could have been (and may yet be) successful, but the mission and its aftermath are built on a house of lies. That fact has made American democracy more fragile—to the detriment of all Americans and its allies.
The relevant details are these:
Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, testified that the US intelligence community concluded that Iran was not moving toward weaponization of its enriched uranium stockpile. See PBS News (6/17/2025), America’s spies say Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon. Trump dismisses that assessment.
Multiple sources are now reporting that Trump’s decision to attack Iran may have been precipitated by Fox “News” personalities who were praising the success of Israel’s air attacks on Iran. Per Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo,
[R]eporting by The New York Times and other publications seems to confirm my initial assumption, which was that the entire U.S. involvement in this conflict was driven by Fox News’s reporting of Israel’s onslaught against Iran’s military infrastructure and nuclear program.
Israel was “winning” and Trump wanted in on that winning. And that was really the entirety of it.
Motivated by Fox News to attack Iran, Trump had to reject the testimony of DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard to Congress—which he did. CBS News, Trump says intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard is “wrong” about Iran’s nuclear program.
After the attack, Trump claimed that Iran’s nuclear processing facilities were “obliterated.” That claim is false on multiple levels.
- First, Iran apparently removed most of the enriched uranium prior to the attack. JFeed, Did Iran Outsmart the U.S.? Tehran Says Uranium Was Moved Before Strike.
- Second, the attack did not collapse the underground bunker housing Iran’s nuclear processing facilities.
- Third, per a leaked US intelligence report, the attack set back Iran’s nuclear program only by a matter of months, not years. HuffPost, Trump’s Bombing Probably Set Iran’s Nuclear Program Back By Mere Months, Report Says. [But at least one international agency disagrees, saying that the attacks set back Iran’s processing capability by years. See Institute for the Study of War.]
- Fourth, Iran reports that the damage at main processing facility was “limited to surface structures and can be repaired.” MSN/Voice of Ukraine, Iran says nuclear program will continue despite U.S. and Israeli strikes
Trump’s press secretary has responded to the above by repeating that the facilities were “obliterated” and that the US intelligence is “wrong.” Press Secretary Karoline Levitt also said that the leak of the report was the work of a “low-level loser in the intelligence community,” a snarky attack that validated the authenticity of the leaked report. See The List, Karoline Leavitt Thought She Could Pull Off Trump’s Insult Game And It Was Her Biggest Blunder Yet.
In a sign that the Trump administration is scrambling to concoct a story to support Trump’s “obliteration” claim, the administration canceled a briefing for both chambers of Congress set for Tuesday. The hearings have been rescheduled for Friday, allegedly so that Sec. of State Rubio and Sec. of Defense Hegseth can testify.
Neither man has demonstrated the ability (or willingness) to testify truthfully to Congress on prior occasions. There is little reason to believe they will do so on Friday. The likelihood is that Rubio and Hegseth are being imported to replace career military officers who will tell the truth about the limited success of the US bombing mission.
The outcome of the US attack on Iran is far from clear—and may remain so for a long time to come. It is possible that the ultimate outcome could be beneficial to the security of the Middle East—which would be a welcome result. However, from an internal domestic perspective, the manner in which Trump decided to attack and report on the results continued his disregard for the Constitution and the norms of democracy.
That is the story that cannot be lost in the media’s mindless reporting that implies Trump acted with forethought and discipline. He did not. He acted because his fragile ego could not stand the thought of Bibi Netanyahu claiming credit for successful attacks on Iran. Let’s hope that Trump’s rash, lawless decision works its way to a successful outcome—in spite of Trump.